.Be it known that I, MERRITT L. THOMPSON, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented, made, and applied to use a certain new and useful Improvement in Boxes for the Transportation of Straw-. berry-Plants, 8m"; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the said invention, reference being had to the annexed drawings,making part of thisspecification, wherein- Figure 1 is an elevation of my box. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. Fig. 3-is a view of the box partly open,contain ing a plant; and Fig. at is an end View of Fig. 3.

Similar marks of reference denote the same parts.

Strawberry-plants are often sent by mail, and heretofore there has been no box sufficiently light and strong for this purpose in which the plant could be thoroughly protected and opportunity afforded to inspect the contents in the post-office.

M y invention consists in a peculiar manner of constructing boxes that are both light,

strong, and cheap,and in whichaplant-sprout or similar article can be safelytransported through the mail, and at the same time the contentsof the box can be inspected.

In the'drawingsa is a circular box of wood, in which the grain of the wood runs lengthwise of the cylinder formingthe box, and his a head formed with a hole in it suiiiciently large for seeing what the box contains, but at the same time the head prevents the articlein the box coming out: This head is introduced in a groove at 1, and is itself made of a piece 0f .ve'neer or thin wood, and for cheapness maybe cut out with a punch. The closed head of my box may be made of a disk, 0, introduced in a groove, as at 2; or the sides of the box may be cutin segments, so that they can be pressed into a hemispherical end, as seen in Fig. 1 at d.

In order to introduce the plant it isnecess'ary that the box should be divided. I have shown that division at 3, Figs. 1 and 2; with slight bevels at 4 and 5, so that the nails of the thumbs can beused to spring the box open while the plant is laid in.

If more convenient, the box maybe made with a longitudinal separation or partial separation on the opposite side of the box, as at 6,so that the box will open, as shown in Fig. 4.

The cylindrical part of the box can be formed very cheaply from pieces of flat veneer, in which the necessary grooves for the heads, &c., are formed by proper tools, and then the veneer is to be softened by steaming and rolled up into shape, and retained in a cylindrical form while drying.

It will be seen that my article makes a cheap and strong box especially adapted to reception of plants to be transmitted by mail; but I do not limit myself in the particular use to which said box is to be applied.

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isv Abox formed with a perforated head,whereby the contents can be viewed without opening the box, substantially as specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signature this 29th day of March, 1864.